Carers Week 2026 – building carer friendly communities at the cabin
To mark Carers Week 2026, which runs from 8 – 14 June, the Trust hosted a celebration event on 10 June at Fieldhead in Wakefield.
Held in the cabin in Fieldhead’s caring gardens, the session brought together staff carers, unpaid carers, and carer champions to create a warm and supportive space aligned with this year’s national theme: Building carer friendly communities.
The event offered time for connection, reflection, and shared experience. Carers were invited to write handwritten wellbeing pledges, capturing personal commitments to support themselves, their teams, and the wider caring community. Two of the pledges shared on the day included:
Ruth Neil, Admiral Nurse: “I will continue to support both staff and family carers and advocate for services to improve, keeping carers at the heart of care.”
Nathan Wathall, mental health practitioner, specialist community mental health team: “My pledge is to support awareness and good practices around carer support in our team. I will build a trusting contract with carers and provide access to support and to contact the team and discuss openly any suggestions or comments that they may have.”
These pledges reflect the commitment across our workforce to strengthen carer awareness, improve support pathways, and ensure carers feel recognised and valued.
The drop‑in also highlighted that many of our staff carers are themselves unpaid carers at home, balancing work and caring responsibilities. The relaxed setting allowed colleagues to connect, share experiences, and explore what a carer friendly community looks like in practice.
Alongside the event, we offered grants to enable community groups and staff to deliver wellbeing‑focused activities such as creative sessions, peer support groups, cultural events, and nature‑based activities.
We have already funded several impactful projects across Carers Week, including ones delivered by Appletree Women’s Group, Spectrum People, Shaping Care in Kirklees CIC, and Barnsley Stroke Services, with further funding requests still being received.
Each initiative contributes to building stronger, more connected communities through learning and confidence building, strengthening peer support, and supporting physical and emotional wellbeing.
